Emberpaw's kin
by Ember grieves for Aspen
Summary: Gingerpaw is a normal apprentice in DuneClan. One day she is given a problematic dream that makes no sense. Soon, dark secrets hidden away from her all her life are uncovered. Angry,hurt and disgusted Gingerpaw must choose, between her clan and her True destiny. Rated T. Fights and blood.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Thanks for all the OC's people have given me! Just saying, some cats might not be in the clans you wanted them to be in because there wasn't enough room in some clans. Anyway, ENJOY!**

chapter 1: early dawn

Gingerkit yawned and streched. Frost covered the tough dune grass and everything was silent as a hunters footsteps. She listened for any sounds, except the sound of sun-drown place and the birds.

Tigerkit was gently snoring, curled up in her mothers warm belly. She looked around for Silentkit, her friend. He was usually awake at this early time, for some reason.

"Silentkit? where are you?" she whispered , trying not to wake up her mother, Willowheart. There was a tiny rustle and a small black kitten with shocking blue eyes,poked his head from the nest behind her.

Gingerkit turned quickly and tapped him on the nose. Silent kit looked back slightly annoyed, before flicking her on the nose with a sharp pin-like claw.

" Hey, that hurt!' Gingerkit squeaked." anyway, I came up with something really fun to do!" The Young kit whispered excitedly. Silentkit rolled his eyes at his fiery orange friend. Whenever she had a plan, they always got into trouble.

Last moon they were forced to pick ticks off the elders, which was an apprentice job, but nasty Brambledip wouldn't take no for an answer.

" well, i thought, you know Troutfin, that really mean elder.. we could prank him!" Ginger -paw barely whispered. Silentkit thought for a little bit.

He knew how much of a grump Troutfin could be. He was always telling him off, and moaning about life and asking his mother why Silentkit never talked. He could talk, he just didn't want to. Silentkit shuffled forward to show he was listening.

Gingerkit motioned with her tail, towards the entrance. He got up and followed her out into the frosty, newleaf air.

" ok, heres what we do, you know that big spider by the warriors den, that keeps the flies out?" Gingerkit murmered as they walked towards the warriors den.

" well, we're gonna catch it, and put it into Troutfin's nest when he goes to get prey or go to dirt place!" Ginger paw squeaked in excitement. Silentkit grinned. This time it didn't matter if he got in trouble, as long as Brambledip didn't tell them off.

Suddenly a loud crack came from the log that served the elders den. The kind old she-cat, Mousewing came trundling out of the den. She looked across at the two kits in the clearing and smiled.

" Oh no! here comes trouble!" she said , in mock fear. Gingerkit growled and pulled a nasty face, while Silentkit pulled a nasty grimace.

Mousewing smiled at the two kits and continued her journey to dirt place. When she was gone, Gingerkit stepped over to the warriors den.

" Ok, now we need to get the spider" Gingerkit didn't finish. A large shadow loomed over them.

" To do what with Gingerkit?" a cold voice said from behind them. The two kits turned around and stared at the large tom in front of them.

" Oh no.." Gingerkit muttered. Silentkit's ears drooped. Out of anyone to get caught by, Brambledip was the worst. He had no heart towards kits, and certainly didn't like gingerkit. How in earth Pineheart, hedge foot and Bluetail survived kittenhood was a mystery to Silentpaw.

" nothing, I just wanted to look at the spider" Gingerkit squeaked. Brambledip frowned.

" your lying Gingerkit, as per usual" Brambledip smirked. Silentkit hated it when he talked like that. Why he was always on their backs was a mystery.

" Kits these days, always lying or up to no good. Shame really, if you hadn't lied you would have become apprentices today, but good apprentices don't lie and you are both lying" Brambledip's tone had a shocked effect upon the kits.

Silentkit looked dismayed while Gingerkit shrugged her shoulders.

" Well, i'd rather do nothing all day and eat" Gingerkit said stubbornly. Brambledip gasped and began to scold Gingerkit .Silentkit realised that the camp was bustling. His brother, Rabbitkit was staring and laughing with as he got Shadedkit was staring at Gingerkit and then Brambledip, looking slightly worried. Silentkit frowned and stuck his tongue out at Rabbitkit.

" Listen to me Silentkit! just because you can't speak or decide not to doesn't mean you can evade the rules!" Brambledip growled. Gingerkit hung her head as she got told off further for her rude comment.

" Hey! Brambledip! calm down will you,their only kits!' A stern, but kind voice said from inside the warriors den. His older sister, Owlface walked out the den and frowned at Brambledip. Owlface had saved them from Brambledip once again!

 **OK! Hope you enjoyed! This chapter was from the view of Silentkit, next chapter will be Gingerkit's chapter! tell me what you think and review.**

 **THANKS!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Apprenticeship

Gingerkit frowned at Brambledip as he turned around. Silentkit smiled to show they were out of trouble for now.

"Brambledip, come on! just because their not yours doesn't mean they need to be told off as harshly as you would your own kits!"Owlface told him. Brambledip scowled.

"Well, at least they will grow up well disciplined and polite! I mean look at Gingerkit! she gets told off daily, because everybody is so soft on her!" Brambledip argued. Gingerkit stuck her tongue out behind the large tom's back.

She looked around and saw a patrol come back through the dune grass. Lizardglare, Pineheart, Daisytail and Hedgefoot separated in different directions. Hedgefoot came in their direction.

 _Great, here comes Brambledip's backup…_ Gingerkit thought, rather annoyed. Hedgefoot was one Brambledip's kits. She would defend him no matter what he did or said. Gingerkit had often heard her mother talking to her friends about Hedgefoot and Brambledip. As a kit Hedgefoot was mistreated by her father and unloved, as Gingerkit had heard it.

"Whats happening father?" Hedgefoot came and sat down next to Brambledip. Hedgefoot was her father's female look-alike. She had light brown fluffy fur with a cream belly. Owl-face looked a bit miffed.

" Well, I was telling off Gingerkit and Silentkit for being rude and liars, when Owlface came and told me I was being harsh!" Brambledip spat angrily. Hedgefoot sighed.

"Oh, you two, you must listen to what Brambledip tells you, he's a full grown warrior and he only tells you off to make sure you know better for the future" Hedgefoot tried to reason.

" HE CALLED ME A LIAR!" Gingerkit squeaked angrily. why did she pander to her cruel father? Brambledip scowled again.

Owlface rolled her eyes. She didn't like Brambledip, just like the kits.

Brambledip Growled. " I'm fed up of these two! I'm not going to waste anymore time arguing!" And with that the large tom stalked off. Hedgefoot and Owlface sighed at the same time.

" Sorry about that you too, you must behave though" Hedgefoot Said kindly to the kits. She got up and went to talk with Foxwhisker, a russet tom with green eyes. Owlface looked at the kits.

" Right, go off to your parents, you need to get your fur groomed and food in your belly" Owlface ordered as she stretched. The two kits nodded and went off to the nursery.

Gingerkit grimaced as her mother, Willowheart groomed her thick orange fur. Silentkit had groomed his own fur and was looking fine.

" I'm so exited!" Shadedkit chatterd away at Rabbitkit excitedly. Gingerkit squirmed trying to make her mother stop. " Keep still, otherwise, you will become an apprentice looking like a bramble bush!" Willowheart chuckled. Bumblekit was trying to get Silentpaw to play a game with her. Silentkit didn't tend to play with other kits often, except Gingerkit. He didn't enjoy fighting that much.

" All cats old enough to swim like fish, gather beneath the high boulder for a clan meeting!" A loud voice ordered. Gingerkit leaped up in the air and ran out into the clearing. she was followed by all the other kits, with Silentkit at the back.

The group of kits scrambled through the crowd of cats to the very front. A large black she cat with blue eyes and a nasty scar across her shoulders. Nightstar was the leader of DuneClan.

" Today, many kits will become apprentices, Bumblekit step forward" Nightstar said proudly. Bumblekit shuffled to the front of the crowd.

" Bumblekit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to become apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Bumblepaw! Your mentor will be Crabfang. I hope he will pass down everything he knows down to you" Nightstar finished.

A large calico tom with a large fang sticking out of his mouth stepped forward and touched noses with Bumblepaw.

 **ok, I'm just gonna skip to when Silentkit and gingerkit are apprenticed because i have too many apprentices.**

Gingerkit and Silentkit were the last two to be apprenticed. So far they had:

.Bumblepaw

.Rabbitpaw

.Tigerpaw

.shadedpaw

And Treepaw.

" Gingerkit, step forward" Nighstar said. Gingerkit was shivering with excitement.

" Gingerkit you have reached six moons and its time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Gingerpaw! Your mentor will be…" Gingerpaw was begging for it to be Owlface.

" Brambledip, I hope you will train and discipline her well as Stormtree once did" Nightstar finished.

Gingerpaw's face was in shock. Brambledip was her mentor. why him!?

Brambledip walked out the crowd. Great. now they had to touch noses. Brambledip leaned forward. Gingerpaw moved her face so she didn't have to touch noses. The two went and sat down next to Treepaw and her mentor,Ghostfalcon.

Silentkit felt Gingerpaw's horror. How could Nightstar do such a thing!? Nightstar's voice told him to step forward. He stepped forward. Nightstar backed up and Cloudfang the medicine cat stepped forward. 'Why was the medicine cat at the high boulder… unless, no, they wouldn't do that' he thought.

" Cats of DuneClan, as you know i will not be around forever. So its time i took on an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown intelligence and observes most things better than most cats. Your next medicine cat apprentice will be, Silentpaw" Cloudfang smiled down at Silentpaw.

" Silentpaw do you except the post of apprentice to Cloudfang?" Nightstar asked. The whole world seemed to freeze around him.

He looked around, at his friends. Gingerpaw looked sad, while Shadedpaw seemed almost happy about it… Silentpaw looked towards his mother, Smallscar, a small white she cat with green eyes and a scar across her cheek. He stared at her trying to get her to help him with what to answer with. She smiled and nodded.

Silentpaw turned back to face nodded slowly.

" Then at half-moon, you must travel to the Moon crystals to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats" Cloudfang beamed. Silentpaw looked down at his paws.

" The good wishes of all of DuneClan will go with you" Nightstar concluded. The meeting was over.

" Bumblepaw, Rabbitpaw, Shadedpaw,Tigerpaw,Gingerpaw,Silentpaw!" The whole clan greeted the new apprentices with gusto. All except Silentpaw.

 **COOL! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, Tell me what you think about Silentpaw becoming a medicine cat AND Gingerpaw's new Mentor!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Voices

After the clan meeting, all of the new apprentices ,plus Glowpaw were herded into the centre of camp by the fresh kill pile.

" Right you lot, while we discuss what we'r gonna teach you first of all, grab some food while there's nothing to do" Oddeye, Treepaw's mentor ordered. Gingerpaw picked out a small trout. Silentpaw joined her looking rather glum.

" Cheer up o'l pal, I'm sure there's a silver lining" Gingerpaw smiled trying to make him feel better. Silentpaw just looked down at the prey pile and picked out a small sand lizard.

The pair of them ate in silence until Bumblepaw came over and began babbling at them.

" I'm SO excited! Aren't you, I can't wait to hunt my first piece of prey and impress Crabfang! I feel so lucky getting such a nice mentor!" Bumblepaw was almost squealing. Silentpaw shot her a look like an adder. She edged off to annoy Glowpaw.

Gingerpaw had only eaten half of her fish, when Brambledip came up behind the two of them.

" Right, Gingerpaw, we're doing battle practice with Bumblepaw, just to show you the strings" Brambledip sighed. Lizardglare, the deputy was behind him, talking to his apprentice, Glowpaw. He was Brambledip's brother, but they seemed very cold towards each other.

"Don't seem so unenthusiastic. Her father was a great warrior so likely-hood is so will Gingerpaw" Lizardglare murmured, avoiding eye contact with his brother. Brambledip looked the other way and pretended not to listen.

Gingerpaw turned back to her trout and took some small bites, while her mentor was distracted.

Silentpaw observed the situation. _"_ _This isn't your business, now go to Cloudfang, before something bad_ happens" A small voice echoed through his skull. He sat up suddenly. Gingerpaw looked up. She said something, but he couldn't hear her. His head began to pound slightly. He looked up again and the scene had changed completely. It was still DuneClan camp, but the cats were… different. Silentpaw was in a group of two toms, and two she-cats, with himself sat in the middle. One tom was brown with a white belly and the other tom was calico. The she-cats looked like they were arguing with the toms. Silentpaw felt different. He didn't feel like him. He hung his head and scuffed the floor with his white paws. _Wait! white paws!_ Silentpaw was as black as night! His fur now, was tabby! This made no sense! He then heared voices.

" Stop it! Why are you so mean to him!"

" Because he's a pip-squeak and a loser!"

" Shut up! you can't say anything! you look pretty much like him!"

" Well, i'm cooler and bigger and stronger!"

" If you carry on like this, NOBODY will like you! just stop it!"

then he felt his mouth open and he yelled something at the top of his lungs. The other cats stared.

Gingerpaw looked up at her friend. His fur was on end and his eyes opened wide with his teeth clenched together.

" Silentpaw? you ok?" She tried to get Silentpaw to look at her. Silentpaw swished her paw in front of his eyes. Gingerpaw stared closely at him. His mouth was moving as if he were talking. All of a sudden, Silentpaw got up on his back legs and trembled.

" Silentpaw! its not funny!" Gingerpaw scowled. All the apprentices were staring. Lizardglare got up and walked over.

" Silentpaw! Listen to me!" Lizardglare ordered. Silentpaw fell down on to all paws, his head hanging down. His claws were dug deep into the sand.

" GO AWAY! YOUR NOT MY BROTHER ANYMORE!" And then he collapsed to the floor.

 **Ok. thanks for those people who reviewed my story! I know its not perfect, but I'm working on it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. training and recovery

Gingerpaw was worried sick. She was in the middle in battle practice and failing miserably. Bumblepaw had already had her on the floor twice. After Silentpaw's weird fit, He had been placed in the medicine cats den.

Last time she left, he was still asleep, twitching ever so slightly. It was the first time she had EVER heard him speak.

But, despite knowing he could talk, the way they had discovered was not so good. He sounded so upset and angry and even not like the way she would imagine him talking.

" Hah! got you again!" Bumblepaw yelled as she jumped out at her from behind a boulder. She pinned Gingerpaw to the floor again. She kicked out with her legs in shock and hit Bumblepaw off.

Gingerpaw leaped up onto a boulder and waited for Bumblepaw to get up, before jumping down on her and winding her. Bumblepaw flicked sand up into Gingerpaw's face.

She jumped back. " Hey, surely thats not fair!" Gingerpaw complained to Bumblepaw as she brushed the sand away from her eyes.

Crabfang and Brambledip slunk out from a gap between two large boulders.

" It's aloud Gingerpaw, you can distract your opponent easily, and you'll find its a skill unique to only DuneClan" Crabfang informed her. Brambledip groomed his paws ,rather aloof.

" Well, to be honest i haven't seen a DuneClan cat use hight's like that before to take an opponent by surprise, Most of us stick to ambush on the dune sand" Brambledip commented nonchalantly. Crabfang smiled.

" Well, it was rather effective" Crabfang said honestly. Brambledip looked up.

" True, but its not our way of fighting and anyway, enough talk, practice your battle moves" Brambledip ordered as he climed to the top of the boulder pile.

Crabfang sat by a boulder near the bottom. Bumblepaw began to slowly circle Gingerpaw. Gingerpaw dug her feet deep into the sand.

Just as Bumblepaw leaped she flicked all the sand up in her face, blurring the apprentice's vision and making her cough. Gingerpaw leaped at Bumblepaw and pinned her down, trying to hit her belly.

Bumblepaw kicked out and caught Gingerpaw off guard. She went flying across the clearing, and fell into a clump of thick long grass. Bumblepaw got up quickly and hared over to Gingerpaw. " that wasn't fair! you shoved about nine pawfuls of sand in my face!" Bumblepaw complained.

" It worked well to distract you though didn't it,but i think flicking sand isn't going to help you learn to fight if all you do with it is hurt each other's eyes with it!" Brambledip growled.

Crabfang looked over at the apprentices and then Brambledip. " How about, Brambledip and I show you some major moves while you take a quick break" Crabfang said in a fatherly way.

Gingerpaw had never met her father, He died a week before she was born. Her mother described him as being a brave warrior, loyal and kind. His name was Stormeye. Willowheart described him as being a light grey tom with green eyes. How she wished she had known him.

Silentpaw woke very slowly. He felt extremely drowsy. In the background he could hear Cloudfang working, His mother and the clan doing daily routines outside.

" He's waking up!" Smallscar almost yelled. She licked his fur on his forehead, where he guessed she had been the whole time he was asleep. Cloudfang walked over and sat down by his mother.

" You might be feeling a bit drowsy, I used poppy-seed so that you wouldn't panic when you woke up" Cloudfang said camly.

 _what happened?_ Silentpaw thought groggily as he sat up in his feathery nest.

" Oh Silentpaw! I was so worried! Lizardglare just said you started acting funny before you…" Smallscar raced through her words ,obviously terrified for her kit's well-being. Silentpaw tilted his head to show he was asking what she mean't.

" You yelled in my face…" Lizardglare's stern voice came from the entrance. Silentpaw saw Glowpaw glimpse in the den before rushing off to the apprentices den. Silentpaw looked at his paws to show he was sorry.

" Its ok, you can talk to us Silentpaw, now we know you have a voice" His mother finished before he began to worry fully.

Silentpaw didn't want to talk. He felt better saying nothing. Lizardglare seemed to understand how he felt.

" He doesn't need to talk if he doesn't want to" Lizardglare told Smallscar. She scowled at him slightly.

" Anyway, I think Silentpaw needs some time to himself ,while he gets his head around this" Cloudfang told the two cats. Lizardglare left right away. Smallscar hesitated, before edging her way out. Cloudfang placed a large wad of moss in front of Silentpaw.

" Lick the moss so you can get some moisture to wet your mouth" Cloudfang said kindly.

Silentpaw licked the moss slowly. _What in StarClan happened?! Was i rude?_ Silentpaw worried. He wondered where Gingerpaw was. She would tell him what happened exactly. All he needed to do was wait for her to get back.

 **As requested, i have the list of allegiances. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, shout out to Pink, Flamewing of fireclan and Lionclaw! also, tell me why you think the story is called Emberpaw's kin. i just want to test something...**

 **Allegiances**

 **DUNECLAN**

Leader Nightstar- Black she-cat with blue eyes and a huge scar across her shoulder blades.

Deputy Lizardglare- Dark mackerel tabby tom with pale yellow eyes.

Medicine cat Cloudfang- White tom with green eyes.

 **warriors** :

Owlface White she-cat with Amber eyes and tawny spots running up her nose onto her forehead

Adderhide Calico tom with green eyes.

Ghostfalcon cream she-cat with a mottled grey face and stunning blue eyes.

Smallscar White she-cat with Amber eyes ,black ears and black paws.

Oddeye Albino tom with pink cross-eyes.

Crabfang Calico tom with pale yellow eyes.

Greywing Grey tom with green eyes.

Brambledip Light brown tom with white belly and Amber eyes.

Foxwhisker Russet tom with green eyes.

Daisytail Cream and white spotted she-cat with green eyes.

Briarshine Grey mottled she-cat with blue eyes.

Pineheart  Dark russet tabby tom with amber eyes.

Hedgefoot Pale brown she-cat with green eyes.

Bluetail Greyish blue she-cat with ice blue eyes.

Willowheart Pale grey she cat with purple eyes and scarred legs. Helps mostly inside camp.

 **Apprentices:**

Gingerpaw Light ginger she-cat with really pale stripes and green eyes.

Silentpaw Black tom with blue eyes.

Rabbitpaw White tom with black paws and ears with green eyes.

Tigerpaw Dark ginger tom with amber eyes.

Bumblepaw Dark grey she-cat with pale yellow eyes.

Glowpaw White tom with yellow eyes.

Shadedpaw  Black tom with green eyes

Treepaw brown tom with green eyes and a white belly.

 **Queens:**

Ferretwing Cream she-cat with a dark face area and green eyes.

Leapordheart Yellow she-cat with black spots running up her body and blue eyes.

Shadowclaw Black she-cat with white paws and amber eyes.

Spottedfur Brown she-cat with white speckles and green eyes.

 **Elders:**

Troutfin Dark grey tom with one blind eye.

Mousewing Light brown she-cat with a white muzzle and Ice blue eyes.

Firsky Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

 **kits:**

Furzekit Brown tom with white stripes and green eyes.

Icekit White she-cat with blue eyes.

Sootkit Black tom with amber eyes.

Leafkit Grey she-cat with a white leaf shape on her side and Green eyes

Harekit Small tabby tom with green eyes.

 **MEADOWCLAN**

Leader Froststar- White tom with grey splotches and blue eyes.

Deputy Moondusk- Black and white she-cat with green eyes.

Medicine cat Badgersting- Black striped tom with blue eyes.

 **Warriors:**

Poppyberry Grey she-cat with white poppy shaped patches and green eyes.

Songbreeze Sandy brown she-cat with green eyes.

Foxdown Ginger tom with white paws and purple eyes.

Dovetree Grey she-cat with amber eyes.

Flowershine Light brown she-cat with purple eyes and white muzzle.

Lionstripe Yellow tom with pale yellow stripes and blue eyes.

Flamewing Ginger she-cat with green eyes.

Sandcloud Light yellow she-cat with blue eyes.

Whitetiger White tom with black stripes and green eyes.

Brightsun Pale brown she cat with a white face and blue eyes.

Bloomheart White she-cat with a petal shaped mark on her chest and purple eyes.

Thrushclaw Brown tom with green eyes. Blind in one of them.

Hollowshell Black she-cat with white ears and green eyes.

Pebbleclaw Grey she-cat with ice blue eyes.

 **Apprentices:**

Floodpaw Light grey tom with blue eyes.

Jaypaw Mottled grey tom with green eyes.

Stonepaw Dark grey tom with pale yellow eyes.

Bonepaw white she cat with purple eyes.

 **Queens:**

Shellfang Black she-cat with green eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5. Medicine cats den

Gingerpaw ran through the entrance of the camp. Willowheart was bringing old bedding out of the nursery, when Gingerpaw rushed and banged into her.

" Where's Silentpaw!?" Gingerpaw asked quickly. Willowheart placed the old bedding on the sandy floor and sighed.

" He's in the medicine cats den, just don't forget he might still be feeling a bit odd after his…panic" Willowheart said rather worried. Gingerpaw nodded quickly to say thanks and rushed off in the direction of the medicine cat's den. She was at the entrance when a voice whispered from behind her.

" Hi Gingerpaw" She turned around and saw Shadedpaw. He had long black fur and jade green eyes.

" Hi, you come to see how Silentpaw's getting on?" Gingerpaw asked, a tad confused. She always got the feeling that Shadedpaw and Silentpaw didn't get on too well. Shadedpaw's eyes darted to one side.

" Yea, I couldn't see him earlier because I got a tour of our territory, so I decided to pop in now… and see him" Shadedpaw said suspiciously. Gingerpaw knew he didn't want to see Silentpaw, but he must want to because there was no other reason to come in the den. She nodded and poked her head through the hanging lichen that acted as a door.

Cloudfang had about five different types of herbs dotted in front of Silentpaw, who was sorting them into some sort of system from his nest. The medcine cat's den was bigger than it looked! The stone walls towered upwards. There was a spider on the web in the corner, eating some sort of insect.

There were dips in the walls where herbs were stored, and the floor was warm and sandy. Near the back of the den there was a tunnel that probably led to the medicine cat's nest. Silentpaw looked up from sorting herbs and grinned. Gingerpaw smiled and walked over to him.

" You ok? You had a mega freak out earlier!" Gingerpaw exlaimed. Shadedpaw eyed Silentpaw. Silentpaw nodded to say he was ok. Cloudfang looked up from his work.

" Oh hello you two, you can talk to Silentpaw for a while, he's been really busy helping me, so I think he might want some time with friends" Cloudfang smiled before busying himself with herbs again.

Gingerpaw sat down next to Silentpaw. Shadedpaw followed slowly and sat next to Gingerpaw. Silentpaw stared rather confusedly at Shadedpaw. He out of all cats, REALLY did not like Silentpaw.

Gingerpaw felt a bit of tension between the two toms.

" So, how do you feel now?" She asked a bit worried. Silentpaw nodded. She wondered if he had eaten at all. _what caused him to shout at lizardglare? Their not kin so, it surley was something else…_ Gingerpaw thought.

" You look a bit hungry, do you want me to fetch you some prey? I can get you some as well Shadedpaw" She offered. Silentpaw nodded. Shadedpaw smiled at her. She got up and wondered out the den towards the fresh kill pile.

Shadedpaw shot Silentpaw a nasty glance as Gingerpaw left. " Your not gonna be able to hang out with her all the time, so you might as well not moan about me being friends with her" Shadedpaw hissed under his breath. Silentpaw scowled. _What does he mean?_ Shadedpaw scowled back.

" What i'm trying to say is, your not her only friend so you better get used to her being around other cats. Anyway, now your a medicine cat apprentice you might as well get used to it" He snarled under his breath. All Silentpaw could think was: _I don't mind her having other friends!_

Gingerpaw came back in with prey. She gave Shadedpaw a trout, Silentpaw a rabbit and vole for herself. Silentpaw tucked into the rabbit slowly. Gingerpaw ate quickly.

" So what did you do today?" Shadedpaw asked Gingerpaw.

" I had battle practice against Bumblepaw, I almost beat her" Gingerpaw muttered though a mouthful of vole. She was annoyed by that defeat.

" I'm sure you'll get her next time" Shadedpaw smiled. Suddenly a loud voice echoed through the clearing. " GINGERPAW! TREEPAW!" the voice barked. Gingerpaw swallowed the rest of the vole, almost choking.

" Bye!" She yelled as she raced out of the den and over to the voice. Ghostfalcon sat by the warriors den.

" I'm here!" Gingerpaw gasped. Treepaw walked over and sat down calmly next to Gingerpaw. Ghostfalcon smiled.

" Try not to get fatigue quite yet!' She laughed. ' Anyway, Brambledip had to go hunting, so he asked me if i could take you out with Treepaw to explore the territory " Ghost falcon explained. Gingerpaw couldn't wait. Treepaw shifted slightly, she seemed quite pleased.

" Come on you two, we mustn't waste time here, lets go have a look!" Ghostfalcon got up and walked towards the camp exit.

" What have you seen so far?" Treepaw asked Gingerpaw.

" The training boulders" She replied. The two apprentices jogged after Ghostfalcon.

Soon they could hear rushing water.

" Be careful, The river is going to be larger this time of year" Ghostfalcon warned the two apprentices. The pair of them nodded, trying to look saner than they felt. The group broke through the long grass. Ghostfalcon sat down as the two apprentices gasped.

The river was HUGE! On the other side were blackened tree stumps.

" What are those doing there?" Gingerpaw asked Ghostfalcon. She seemed uneasy.

" The ash fields.."

 **In the next Chapter, It'll continue with territory exploring. If you could discover someone else's secret how would you discover it? This might have a thing to do with the story…but it might not!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. Ashes

Gingerpaw stared at the charred black stumps that spread across the landscape.

" Is it used for hunting?" Treepaw asked. Ghostfalcon shook her head. Something was making Ghostfalcon nervous.

" Should we cross over to get a closer look?" Gingerpaw wondered. Ghostfalcon tensed up. She was thinking about something.

" Ok, we can but its only a short cut to the beach" Ghostfalcon whispered. Ghostfalcon took the lead and slipped into the flowing river water. Treepaw spalshed in after her. Gingerpaw stared at the icy cold water. She dipped a paw in slowly. It was surely too cold to go in!

Ghostfalcon and Treepaw were on the other side of the river. " Come on in Gingerpaw, its ok!" Treepaw yelled from across the river. She couldn't make herself look like some kittypet whose afraid of water. Slowly she lowered herself into the water. It lapped at her belly and paws. It was freezing! She shivered.

" Gingerpaw,start swimming now!" Ghostfalcon ordered. She hesitated. _I can't!_ Gingerpaw thought. She had no choice. she had to. Slowly Gingerpaw pushed off. The shock of the cold water stopped her paws from working. Water engulfed her vision. She tried to cry for help, but it came out in a strangled gurgle.

Suddenly her head burst through the surface. She opened her eyes to see daylight. Ghostfalcon had her by the scruff and was pulling her to the bank. Gingerpaw coughed out all the water that had trapped itself in her lungs.

Ghostfalcon leaped out the water with Gingerpaw. Treepaw stared down at her.

" You ok!? I thought you had already been washed down stream by the time Ghostfalcon got to you!" Treepaw exlaimed.

All she did was lay there and cough out the exess water. After finishing, she looked around the banks. There lay felled burnt trees coated in ash and soot. Black stumps were dotted in almost perfect lines.

" What happened here?" Gingerpaw rasped from the floor. Ghostfalcon shifted around on her paws. Something was bothering her…

" Well, a long time ago… something terrible happened here, when I was an apprentice" The Cream she-cat mumbled.

The two apprentices weren't going to dig for answers. For a couple of moments there was an awkward silence. Treepaw shuffled around, wanting to look at the beach. Ghostfalcon looked up again.

" Come on, lets go and look at the beach" She concluded before leading the two apprentices up the river bank.

 **I just checked out how many views I had and guess how many I had? 178 VIEWS! Thanks so much to all you people who review and view my stories! Anyway, this part of the story is kinda big so, i'm splitting it up between chapters. Also, Why do you think Ghostfalcon is wary of the Ash Fields?**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7. Floodpaw

Gingerpaw and Treepaw gasped at the huge expanse of water. It lapped gently at the soft white sand. The sun was setting slowly being devoured by the water.

" Its amazing!" Treepaw exclaimed. Ghostflacon nodded briefly.

" Can we explore!?" Gingerpaw burst out. They waited for the warrior's answer.

" Sure, as long as you come back here when I call you and don't wonder into the water" She said. Gingerpaw rushed off. The sand was soft under-paw and the breeze was cool. Treepaw was jumping away from the foaming water as it tried to lap at her paws. out of the corner of her eye, she could see where the river came out into the sea. A small shelled creature came scampering past.

The fiery apprentice chased after it and tried to bite it. She pinned it down by its legs. _I wonder what you are?_ Gingerpaw thought.

Silentpaw was giving one of Troutfin's ticks a taste of pure evil itself. Mouse bile. It was the most revolting substance the dunes could see.

" I don't see why they can't use something less horrible to get rid of ticks…" Troutfin argued. Silentpaw ignored him and continued. S _top moaning you old mousebrain, i don't want to do this either!_ He Inwardly moaned to himself.

The sun was setting already. It had been a long, long day. Some cats were avoiding him for some reason. He had an idea why, but every time he asked the subject was quickly changed.

" Silentpaw! Its time to go!" Cloudfang's voice rung out. Troutfin grumbled under his breath as Silentpaw left the den. _what does he mean by go?_ He wondered. He neared the white cat.

" We need to leave to the Moonpool now" Cloudfang informed him. Of course! He had forgotten! Cloudfang got up slowly and they headed towards the entrance.

Nightstar came out of dirtplace. She gave them a silent nod before heading over to the prey pile.

Silentpaw was amazed when he got out of camp. The dunes rolled before him, pristine and cool.

" Now when we get to the MeadowClan border, we are going to be meeting Badgerheart and his apprentice Floodpaw, They will guide us through MeadowClan to the Moonpool" Cloudfang explained as they walked.

The sun was almost set when they reached the border. Two cats were sat right on the border.

" Greeting Cloudfang, its good to see you!" A black and white cat spoke in a friendly way. Silentpaw shied away behind Cloudfang. It took the MeadowClan cats a while to notice he was even there.

" Whose that behind you?" A small grey tom with blue eyes asked. Cloudfang pushed him forward with his tail.

" This is Silentpaw, he's my apprentice" Cloudfang said proudly. The two cats smiled.

" I'm Badgerheart and this is Floodpaw, We welcome you as a medicine cat" Badgerheart nodded. Silentpaw nodded curtly.

" Anyway, we musn't waste time, to the moonpool!" Badgerheart concluded as he got up.

As they were walking, Silentpaw spotted many differences between DuneClan cats and MeadowClan cats. Duneclan cats smelt of sand,water and salt. Meadowclan cats smelt like flowers,earth and wind. Meadowclan cats were also a lot leaner than his own clan cats. His thoughts about differences were ruined by Floodpaw's voice.

" Hi, I'm Floodpaw, If you don't know i'm Froststar's son" Floodpaw boasted cheerfully. _Good for you_ He thought.

" Who are your parents?" The grey tom asked. Silentpaw shrugged. It didn't matter whose parents where who's.

" You don't have any parents!? Were you a kittypet!?" Floodpaw gasped. Silentpaw ignored him.

" He does have parents ,Floodpaw and he's certainly a DuneClan cat" Cloudfang said over his shoulder.

" Why didn't he tell me that?' Floodpaw complained. " its not as if he can't talk!" Silence hung on the air.

" Sientpaw can't talk…" Badgerheart whispered to Floodpaw. The grey tom was shocked.

" I AM SO SORRY!" He gasped.

" Shh, we are here" Cloudfang mumbled. Badgerheart took the lead. He squeezed through the hole in the bottom of the pile of stones. Silentpaw noticed the large wooded beams above the entrance. They had a huge sigh on the top one with crude lines on them. Silentpaw ignored them and squeezed through.

 **OK! I have left it like this because my hands are begging a rest from typing. Anyway, Time for a question! If Gingerpaw was going to have a mate, What cat would be her mate? Explain why they would be good together AND what would their kits be called and what would they look like?**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8. Barkstorm

Silentpaw squeezed through the tight tunnel. It seemed as if the original entrance would have been much larger. Soon the tunnel opened up into a vast chamber. two cold pieces of metal ran through the chamber and into the next with slabs of rotten wood in between them.

" Through here" Badgerheart signalled with his tail towards another colapsed entrance. The older cat squeezed through,before Silentpaw. The tunnel was even tighter than the last. Again they popped out through the bottom of the tunnel. Silentpaw inwardly gasped.

It was amazing! A large pool of blue water was in the centre of the chamber. A tiny island of rock was in the middle with two huge white crystals protruding. There was another crystal but the top had snapped of and landed in the water. That crystal was grey and cracked. Cloudfang sat down next to him.

" Pretty incredible isn't it" Cloudfang whispered into his ear. He nodded in agreement. _Maybe being a medicine cat won't be as bad as I thought._ Silentpaw thought.

" Starclan, this young apprentice has chosen the path of a medicine cat' Cloudfang began. ' He wishes to know all of your vital knowledge and to steer clear of clan rivalries, so he can look into the depths of this pool and see it all" He finished. Badgerheart dipped his head to show exeptance along with Floodpaw and Cloudfang.

All of them lay down next to the pool. Silentpaw watched Floodpaw lap a mouthful of the water, and close his eyes slowly. He looked down into the water. _Go on Silentpaw, have some._ The unheard voice in his ears said. He obliged and took a cold mouthful. It tasted fresh and clean. Silentpaw slowly fell into a deep sleep.

He opened his eyes into the most unexpected scene. There was ash on the floor. It was wet and stuck to his paws. Steam rose from it. " Your lucky you missed the rain" A rough voice said from behind him. He spun around to see a scarred dark tabby tom. " Who are you?" He asked, suprised that he was talking. The burley tom smiled.

" I'm Barkstorm" Barkstorm said simply.

" I'v never heard of you, were a DuneClan cat or a MeadowClan cat?" Silentpaw pondered. Barkstorm shook his head and chuckled to himself. " Neither of them murderous lot.." Barkstorm growled under his breath.

" What do you mean murderous?" he asked confused. Barkstorm looked as if he said too much.

" Never you mind" The large tom muttered. This tom was odd. He smelt of not sand and salt or flowers and earth. He smelt like…pine. _Pine? How do i know what a pine is? I'v never seen one!_ He thought. Barkstorm began to fade. The large tom looked at his paws in shock as he began to dissolve. He shouted one thing at him.

" Tell Emberkit I always think of her and love her!"

 **There we go! OK, Who do you think Emberkit and Barkstorm are?**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9. The voice's name _who is Emberkit?_ Silentpaw thought as he walked along the dune with his mentor. By the way Barkstorm had said it Emberkit was probably still alive. Another StarClan cat wouldn't ask a mortal cat to say hello to another StarClan cat. Cloudfang was rushing ahead. Ever since the Moonpool he had been desprate to get back to camp. Something was playing on his mind. Gingerpaw walked wearily back into camp. She was exhausted. Ghostfalcon had ordered that she went straight to the medicine cat once they got back. That crab had really pinched her hard. Her paw was only cut, but Ghostfalcon said its best to be healthy before leafbare hit the shores. There were many stories about how deadly leafbare was. Many young apprentices were washed away into the sea last leafbare. The new rule was no swimming in leafbare. There was also a chance of greencough, a nasty chest infection. The sun had set now. The sand was cool underpaw. " You ok? That seems like a nasty cut" Shadedpaw's voice came from behind her. She turned around. He stood their and smiled sweetly at her. " Yea, a crab got me on the shore" She muttered slightly embarrassed. He laughed. " You wanna train tomorrow? I'm doing hunting parctice" Shadedpaw asked. She wanted to say yes but that would mean telling Brambledip she wasn't doing swimming practice. As much as she did not enjoy swimming, she was not going to get in trouble for it. " Sorry, I can't. Brambledip would murder me if I tried to skip swimming" She sighed. Brambledip was so annoying. Shadedpaw seemed a little disappointed. " Oh well… Hey we could go and try to hunt now if you like!" Shadedpaw barely whispered. She was not going to do that, even if the territory at night sounded cool. Gingerpaw shook her head. " Sorry, i'm just so tired. maybe another time" She reasoned. Again Shadedpaw seemed disappointed. " Ok, Never mind" He mumbled. There was a snigger from behind the fresh kill pile. Gingerpaw leaped over and landed on Glowpaw. He was laughing really hard. Shadedpaw frowned and looked away. She got off of him. Glowpaw stumbled over to Shadedpaw. " That was a major rejection!" Glowpaw sniggered. What did he mean? The black tom frowned. " Go away glowpaw" Shadedpaw huffed, before walking off to the apprentice's den. Glowpaw followed him still jeering and laughing. Silentpaw reached camp when the moon had risen to the middle of the sky. The camp was silent. Cloudfang rushed off to Nightstar's den. He sighed and went off to the medicine cats den. It had been a long night. He needed to figure out who Emberkit was. The voice in his head was triggered again. **"** _I know who Emberkit is, I would tell you but you always shut me off.."_ The voice echoed through his ears. _who are you?!_ He asked. The voice laughed slightly. _" Me? Well you don't know who I am yet, but one day you will. My name is Lilytail."_ Lilytail said plainly. _Well, I do now who you are because you just told me!_ This 'Lilytail' was annoying him. _"_ _I haven't told you my story, or where I came came from, or my parents"_ Lilytail explained. Silentpaw tried to blank out Lilytail. _why are you talking to me? Are you a StarClan cat?_ He asked her after a long pause. _"_ _No, i'm not a StarClan cat"_ **There we go! The first part of the story was kinda a filler, but Lilytail and Silentpaw as not! Anyway. Thanks to all the people who have reviewed! Shout out to Foxtail of stormclan and Flamewing! Ok, In the reviews can you brill people tell me who you think Lilytail and why she's inside Silentpaw's mind?** **Here's a clue:** **She is an older sister, who is now dead and she died in a fire. Not necessarily the fire that burn't down the Ash fields.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10. Three unfortunate kits

 _"_ _Wait! Your a dark forest cat!? What do you want with me!?"_ Silentpaw began to panic. Lilytail laughed. She was a dark forest cat! _" no. no way. I'm not evil at all. Its just, us lot are banished from the StarClan hunting grounds for other reasons.."_ She sounded really unconvincing. _Your'e lying!_ Silentpaw wasn't going to fool for her tricks.

He rushed into the medicine cats den. _"_ _I'm not lying to you! Why would I do that!?_ _"_ Lilytail gasped, sounding a little bit hurt. _Then where are you from?!_ He demanded. There was a long pause. _"_ _I'm stuck inside your mind, part of my family are in NightClan and some of them are still alive"_ Lilytail sounded a little sad. Was it the mention of her family? Or was it the fact they were alive and she wasn't? _Why are you and your family banished?_ He asked. There was a long silence.

 _"_ _Because we were thriving"_ Silentpaw sat down in his nest. He asked for more information, but Lilytail refused to speak.

Gingerpaw yawned as the leaf-fall winds rattled through the entrance tunnel of the apprentices den. She streched in the darkness of her nest chamber. Treepaw was fast asleep in the nest next to , she made here way past Treepaw and Bumblepaw into the main tunnel. Most of the dens in DuneClan camp used to be rabbit burrows, the biggest being the warrior's den. Gingerpaw made her way out through the entrance and into camp.

Greywing, a grey warrior came skipping out the nursery. His eyes were bright with happiness. 

**"** You alright? you seem happier than usual" Gingerpaw asked. Greywing's chest seemed to be filled with pride.

" Leopardheart has kitted! My kits were born just as the sun began to rise!" The grey warrior picked a large fish from the fresh kill pile.

" Congrats! What are they called?" She asked. Leopardheart was a funny cat. She barely talked but always seemed to be annoyed. How Greywing fell in love with her was a bit of a mystery to the clan.

" Well there are three of them. Two are she-cats and one is a tom. The little tom is called Sootkit and the two girls are called Icekit and Leafkit!" Greywing chuckled. Gingerpaw nodded.

" Can I see them?" Gingerpaw pondered. Greywing shook his head.

" Leopardheart is really tired at the moment, but you can visit later if you like" Greywing mumbled through the fat trout as he picked it up and carried it away to the nursery.

Gingerpaw picked a large vole from the pile. She was tired from exploring the territory. The dawn patrol came through the sand bank that bordered the north side of camp. Brambledip departed from the group and headed over to the fresh kill pile. Just as Gingerpaw was about to dig into the vole, he interrupted her.

" Your'e gonna eat that, just before swimming? Well, from what i'v heard you'll sink even further down than you have!" Brambledip scorned her. She put the vole back and picked up a small shrew. This was going to be a long day.

After eating, Gingerpaw was dragged out of camp with Bumblepaw, for a swimming lesson before the water got too cold in leafbare. Bumblepaw skipped about as happy as could be.

Crabfang was talking quietly with Brambledip. The pair of them kept on shooting glances at her.

Silentpaw grabbed the poppy seeds from the stone crevice. He had been ordered by Cloudfang to go and feed one to Leopardheart. He hadn't been allowed to help during kitting, because he barely knew anything about being a medicine cat. He wasn't very happy about being one. He couldn't learn to fight, or hunt and he wouldn't be able to raise any kits.

But someone had to do it, without a medicine cat the clan would be very small and weak.

Quietly, Silentpaw padded across camp. _"_ _Good morning Silentpaw."_ Lilytail's voice sounded stronger in his head. For some reason he began to doubt that she was a Dark forest cat. She was too friendly. But again, many cats had been tricked by cats from the place of no stars.

 _sorry for not believeing you were good…_ Silentpaw apologised. He heard Lilytail laugh.

 _"_ _Pah, its ok, I understand"_ Lilytail reasured him.

Silentpaw slithered into the Tunnel that served as the nursery. It had a entrance made from dune grasses, so the wind couldn't rush in and freeze the kits. He came into a large chamber lined with feathers and grasses. Leopardheart was sat in the corner. Her kits were pushed in front of her. _Why isn't she feeding them?_ Silentpaw wondered. She glared at him as he walked in.

" What do you want?" she muttered moodily. Silentpaw placed the leaf with the poppy seeds inside it in front of her and motioned with his tail to eat one. She sniffed them and turned her nose up.

" I don't need them" She rudely pushed them away. Silentpaw looked at the kits. Their fur hadn't been groomed and by the crying squeaks they were producing, they hadn't been fed either.

Silentpaw sniffed one, a small black tom. He licked his scruff and cleaned his belly for the kitten. The kit mewed. Leopardheart glared at the kits as if they was dirt. Silentpaw stopped grooming the kit and looked up.

" No, carry on, I don't care what you do with them anymore, I just want them gone!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11. New mother

 _"_ _How ungrateful!"_ Lilytail raged inside his head. It took a while for the impact of the words to truly sink in. Leopardheart pushed them away even further away from her body and onto the sandy floor.

The kits coughed and sneezed as the sand entered their small noses. Silentpaw heard Greywing come in through the entrance, humming happily.

" Hello my dear I got you some…. Why are the kits on the floor?" Greywing dropped the fish and looked a little confused. Leopardheart turned her head away. Greywing picked up the small white she-cat and put her back into the nest, near Leopardheart's belly.

" Hmm, they seem hungry, I think they need feeding.." Greywing was cut off. Leopardheart growled .

" I'm not feeding them! Not right now!" Leopardheart got up and snarled in Greywing's face.Silentpaw backed up a little.

" What do you mean you won't feed the kits? You said you wanted them…" Greywing seemed really hurt. Leopardheart growled at both of them to leave. Greywing looked as if he had just been smacked in the face as he walked out. _"_ _She's a lier and a backstabber!"_ Lilytail snarled.

Gingerpaw stared out across the large river. It wasn't as fast as the previous time, but it still didn't seem inviting. Their mentors took them to a small pond beside the river.

" Welcome to the training pond! This is where you will learn to swim, before you are moved into the river" Crabfang explained. Bumblepaw nodded eagerly, wanting to prove herself a good swimmer.

" You can paddle in the shallow part of the pond, to get used to the water, Don't go past the large rock in the middle. Thats where it gets deeper" Brambledip said, seemingly emotionless.

Bumblepaw smiled and leaped in. The brown she-cat dipped her head underwater and paddled around, enjoying the water.

Gingerpaw dipped a paw in, before pulling it out quickly. She heard a scoff from Brambledip. He muttered something, before talking to Crabfang again.

Not wanting to seem weak, she waded in, with all four paws in the water. The horrible feeling of the cold seeped up her legs and turned into a shiver. She went in even further.

" Come on Gingerpaw! Once you get used to it, its really fun!" Bumblepaw laughed as she paddled around, chasing some frogspawn that she had spotted.

Gingerpaw waded in more. The cold water sloshed around her belly fur making her gasp in shock. It was freezing! _Just get it over and done with and then you can do hunting, or fighting or help Silentpaw in the medicine cat's den._ She thought to herself as she paddled in further.

Her back was covered by water. Her short fur seemed to fluff up in the water. Bumblepaw swam over. " Try and see if you can catch something!" Bumblepaw laughed in and annoying way.

Just to make the annoying apprentice shut up, Gingerpaw paddled in so only her head poking out of the water. It was a really nasty, having that water sloshing around her body but as long as she wasn't seen as weak, that was ok.

" Right you two, stay in the water. we are going to come in and teach you some basics" Brambledip droned.

The two toms slid in. " So I can see both of you know how to swim, so we are going too teach you some practises to save yourself incase something bad happens" Crabfang explained.

The two apprentices nodded. " OK! so lets give an example. Brambledip has got caught in a current and needs to get out. Whats the safest way to get out?" Crabfang asked them.

Gingerpaw thought. " Do you swim out of the current by going under and then to the side, so you pop up outside?" Gingerpaw asked, sounding rather unsure. Brambledip sighed and shook his head.

Silentpaw cleaned the kits and fed them a leafy mulch. Leopardheart had gone to speak with Nightstar and had demanded that they were cleaned and fed in the medicine cats den.

The three kits lapped the mixture up mewing happily. The mix had been chewed up and placed on the leaf next to the kits. Silentpaw had to dip his paw in and feed them a little, before making sure none had gone into their small noses and then putting the one had had fed down, to feed another.

The sun had risen and the camp was busy. He felt pleased that Cloudfang had given him the duty of looking after the kits. They were extremely hungry though. Their own mother hadn't even fed them.

Silentpaw remembered when his mother went into shock after his father died. His father died fighting the same badger that killed Gingerpaw's father. She didn't feed him or Rabbitpaw for a week. They were fed by Willowheart, along side Tigerpaw and Gingerpaw.

The shock of his father not being their for him seemed to silence him, even though he didn't meet his father. His father died four day before he was born and three days before Gingerpaw was born.

The clan lost two fine warriors that day. Silentpaw was brought back into the real world by Ferretwing.

Ferretwing was a young queen, her kits were still very small and weren't aloud out the nursery yet. She stared at the three little bundles of fur in the nest. She smiled sadly.

" I'm afraid to say, Leopardheart has given up her kits, I'm going to be looking after them" Ferretwing said sadly. She sat down in the nest with the kits. The smell of milk seemed to drag the kits away from the leaf mulch and towards the young queen.

" All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the high boulder for a clan meeting!" Nightstar's loud voice was heard all over camp.

Silentpaw nodded politely and left Ferretwing to feed and clean her new kittens. All cats were gathered outside. Greywing was hunched over and looked as if he had died inside. Leopardheart was nowhere to be seen.

" I am sad to say, Leopardheart will no longer be looking after her kits" Nightstar began. There were shocked gasps from the clan.

" I would like you all to avoid talking about this at gathering's or around camp or to Leopardheart" Nightstar said. _"_ _Why is she saying this to all the clan?"_ Lilytail sounded angry.

There was a snarl and Leopardheart rushed out of the warriors den.

" You don't need to tell every cat! In fact they might as well know the WHOLE story! Well if you want an answer, HERE IT IS: I don't love Greywing and never have and I needed to help my clan somehow! so I had kits! Is that good enough for all of you nosey creatures?!" and with that she stormed back into the warriors den fuming.

 **There we go! That was so dramatic. Just saying Leopardheart didn't have a great start in life so, all will be revealed why she's odd. Also why do you think she took Greywing as a mate, because she could be lying about wanting to help the clan… or she might not be!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12. Sodden

Greywing broke down. Strangled sobs came from his mouth. Willowheart sat by him and talked quietly. She smiled at him, but he couldn't bring himself to smile back.

Silentpaw sensed the sadness inside his heart. The rest of the clan edged off to give him some privacy. Willowheart was one of his friends so it was ok for her to stay.

Silentpaw liked Willowheart. She was friendly and was happy to look after him when Smallscar couldn't. Even though she didn't look after him any more, she still treated him well.

Gingerpaw came out of the pond freezing cold. She hadn't got a single question right. She almost drowned twice and was told of by both mentors countless times. Her punishment for her lack of attention was to clean out the nursery.

Bumblepaw per usual, had done everything right. She got the questions right and she didn't drown once. She was aloud extra moss in her nest for one night as a reward.

Brambledip said nothing on the journey back to camp. He had been embarrassed by her performance throughly. Crabfang was trying to convince him it wasn't as hard as it seemed to teach her how to swim, but he probably felt the same on the inside.

It was midday when they arrived back at camp. Bumblepaw went and talked to Furzekit, her younger brother. Brambledip went to talk to Oddeye. Surprisingly Oddeye was very popular in the clan.

He was an albino tom. His original name was Dunekit but his mother renamed him shortly after he opened his eyes. Many cats were worried he was going to be ignored, but the clan seemed to like living with a cat that looked different.

Gingerpaw trudged over to the fresh kill pile. Glowpaw sniggered. " Hey, Gingerpaw you look like a drowned rat! did Brambledip make you do swimming in the pond?" He asked in his annoying laughing voice.

She nodded. " Oh my gosh, I feel your pain its flipping freezing in there! I had it on my first day!" The strange apprentices voice sounded sorry for her.

He wished her good luck before going off for a hunting lesson. Silentpaw popped out from behind the kill pile. He smiled and sat next to her.

His gaze seemed to be asking: _Are you ok? It looks like you have just drowned._ " Swimming lessons" She said simply.

She licked her fur dry. Silentpaw ate a trout from the kill pile. She struggled to get the back of her neck dry.

Silentpaw looked up. He left his meal and to Gingerpaw's suprise, helped her groom the back of her neck.

" Thanks" Gingerpaw said. " What did you do today?" She asked. He rolled his eyes to show it wasn't a good day.

Shadedpaw came up from behind them. " Hi Gingerpaw! Wow… you had swimming lessons?" The black tom asked. She nodded. He seemed to glance at Silentpaw and then back at back at her.

" So… Do you want to go and train with me at the boulder mound? My mentor will be there with us" He said. She thought about it. It certainly beat cleaning out kit's nest.

" Sure, I'll go"

 **There we go. Another chapter! Thanks to all you people who read my stories! you are all great!**

 **Why do you think Shadedpaw doesn't like Silentpaw, even though he hasn't done anything to him? it's not as obvious as you think...**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13. Mice

Silentpaw stopped grooming her and looked over at Shadedpaw. His face went all smug. _Whats he being smug about?_ He asked Lilytail. There was no reply.

Gingerpaw smiled. " See you later Silentpaw, I'll bring you back a mouse!" She smiled and got up. Shadedpaw walked beside her towards Adderhide.

Silentpaw, feeling a little let down, went into the medicine cats den. In only two days she had no time for him. Shadedpaw was certainly up to something, but whatever it was, was a mystery.

Ferretwing was gone. He worried, until he realised they were probably in the nursery. Cloudfang came out from the cave in the back and nodded curtly. Silentpaw nodded back and headed over to the nursery. He could hear arguing.

" I never wanted YOU to look after them! your too young!" It was Leopardheart. The bengal she-cat was staring fiercely at the young queen. Leopardheart's kits and Ferretwing's kit were feeding.

" I'm looking after then for _you!_ You said you didn't want them!" Ferretwing bit back.

" But your young! Too young! You couldn't look after my kits, or your own with your eyes closed!" Leopardheart snarled aggressivley.

Silentpaw got in-between them. He glared at Leopardheart. She laughed at him. " Look at you! a little apprentice telling a warrior like me what to do! You can't even speak you little silent runt!" Leopardheart spat before laughing. She was surely mad!

Ferretwing hissed. The kits stopped feeding and began to mewl in a scared way. Both she-cats fur was on end. The comment about being a silent runt stung Silentpaw. He was the smallest, and he couldn't talk. But that gave her no right to insult him.

Shadowclaw, Shadedpaw's mother came in. She looked confused at the two she-cats. " Whats happening you two? What are you doing in here Leopardheart?" She asked. After Leopardheart abandoning her kits Shadowclaw seemed to despise her. Leopardheart walked up to her fur on end.

" None of your mouse brained bussiness!" She screeched before storming out of the nursery tunnel. Shadowclaw scowled. Ferretwing let out a huge sigh.

" I thought she was going to claw my face.." she breathed. Silentpaw felt bothered by what she had said. A runt. He might have been, but there was a chance he wasn't.

Shadedpaw walked next to Gingerpaw step by step. He was getting very close to her, their fur was almost brushing. Adderhide walked in front humming. The training boulders were straight ahead.

" Ok, here we are' Adderhide said. ' have you been here before Gingerpaw?" He asked. She nodded.

" Right, we can start hunting practice right now then!" Adderhide said as he gathered some stones from the white sand. He scattered them across the sand. Gingerpaw observed where the stones sat.

" Before anything, both show me your hunting crouch" The calico tom instructed. Shadedpaw put one paw in front of the other and stood low against the sand. Gingerpaw lay low her tail slightly higher than Shadedpaw's.

" Hmmm… Shadedpaw, well done, Gingerpaw, pretty good, just keep your tail down" Adderhide advised them.

Gingerpaw moved her tail towards the ground. Adderhide nodded. " Now creep forwards, I just need to see how well you can move in a hunting crouch" He explained.

Gingerpaw watched as Shadedpaw slipped forwards. His paw tips barley disturbed the sand. She began moving forwards, but the sand kept on catching her paws and making sound.

Shadedpaw came up to a small grey stone. He wiggled his haunches and leaped forward, landing square on the stone.

Trying to follow his lead, she sneaked up onto a stone, wiggled her haunches and leaped. She landed square on the target. " Yes!" She exclaimed. Shadedpaw smiled at her.

" Shadedpaw, well done! Gingerpaw… you need to work on your footwork. Its odd, your legs are much longer than the average for a DuneClan cat, so it might take a while to get it right, but its not impossible!" Adderhide reasured them.

" Anyway, Thats all we have time for i'm afraid. Its getting to mid-day and I have a patrol round to do, so you two can head back to camp" Adderhide informed them.

The two apprentices nodded. Adderhide walked off into the dune, and on the way to camp. Gingerpaw and Shadedpaw followed.

She felt annoyed with herself. So far she hadn't done very well, but it was only early days.

" You did really well" Shadedpaw smiled at her. He was only trying to dull down the sense of uselessness inside her.

" Not really, I mean since when were my legs long?" She wondered. Shadedpaw shrugged.

" Look fine to me" He smiled sweetly at her. Something made Gingerpaw feel a little weird. She ignored it and carried on walking.

Silentpaw finished off cleaning out the kits nest's. _"_ _You shouldn't have done it for her Silentpaw, it was her job"_ Lilytail said matter-of-factly. She had told him this all the time he had decided he would do it.

Ferretwing nodded her thanks as he walked outside the den. " Silentpaw! come here!" Cloudfang asked for him across the clearing. Silentpaw left the nursery and emerged into daylight again.

He padded over into the den. Cloudfang had a load of herbs at his feet, all in mixed up piles. He nodded towards them. " I think its time I taught you some herbs that heal dieseases, with Leaf-bare coming up" Cloudfang said to him.

Silentpaw nodded. Cloudfang gestured to a pile of strong smelling leaves. " These are catmint. They are rarely found in the wild, but luckily they grow plentifully by the learning pond" Cloudfang explained as he pushed a few leaves for Silentpaw to look at. He drank in the strong scent.

" They are used for curing greencough, a really horrible chest infection" The white tom told him.

He pointed to the next pile. They were soft green leaves with small yellow flowers. " This is Chickweed, Its quiet rare round here as it only grows near trees, and the Ash Fields are only just starting to grow again. Its used for greencough, but catmint is generally better" Cloudfang said.

Silentpaw nodded and smelt the leaves. Just before Cloudfang could tell him what the next pile of leaves were Leopardheart trudged in. " I need herbs to stop milk from coming" She ordered. " Parsley is what you want" The white tom said.

Leapordheart nodded. " Yea, I need some of that" She muttered. Cloudfang went to the back of the cave and scooped out some leaves. He gave them to her. " You need to eat them for the herbs to take effect" He told the bengal queen. She picked them up. Cloudfang looked confused.

" Where are you taking them?" Cloudfang demanded. Leopardheart put them down. " To eat in peace, without mouse-brains like you disturbing me!" She growled. The angry she-cat picked them up and walked out.

Gingerpaw got into camp. She had to go and clean up the nursery. She walked in down the tunnel to find all the nest's fresh with bedding and free of kit dirt. " Who cleaned out the den?" She asked Ferretwing. The young queen looked up.

" Silentpaw did, good as gold he is, tell him I say thanks" She smiled. Gingerpaw nodded and walked out.

Leopardheart came in through the nursery entrance holding a fat shrew as Gingerpaw passed.

She walked over to the fresh kill pile and picked up a freshly caught mouse. Gingerpaw walked into the medicine cats den. Silentpaw was there with Cloudfang sorting herbs.

" Hello, I didn't catch anything, but I brought you some prey anyway" She said as she put down the mouse.

Silentpaw smiled at her and took the mouse.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14. Punishment

Gingerpaw was the first cat to hear the screech from the medicine cats den. The sound came from the nursery. Gingerpaw and silentpaw sprinted to the nursery. They weaved through the tunnel.

Ferretwing sat in her nest coughing. A half eaten mouse lay alongside the tan she-cat. Something green was poking out from a neat cut on the mouse's flank. Ferretwing coughed. " What is that stuff, it tastes disgusting!". She looked like she was going to be sick.

Gingerpaw watched as Ferretwing wrectched. Cloudfang sniffed the mouse. " Parsley! Some cat has stuffed parsley into your mouse…" He exclaimed.

Silentpaw knew who had done this. It was so obvious. _She's tried to kill of Ferretwing's milk supply!_ He told Lilytail. _"_ _Why she's done it it half obvious though"_ Lilytail said matter-of-factly.

" Parsley! My kits!' Ferretwing gasped. " There are no other queens who could take on my kits if I can't feed them!" Cloudfang put his tail on her shoulder.

" You'll be ok, You vomited most of it up" He told her. She nodded still worried. Silentpaw used some moss to clean up the mess.

" Who gave you the mouse?" Gingerpaw asked. Ferretwing looked shocked.

" I don't really want to say this… but it was Leopardheart" Ferretwing whispered. Gingerpaw seemed shocked, but she hadn't seen how suspicious the bengal queen had been acting.

Cloudfang ran out of the den. Ferretwing cleaned the kits, as if trying to distract herself. Silentpaw cleaned up the mess.

Nightstars loud call came into the den. All cats came into the centre of camp. The few who knew who had put the parsley in the mouse, stared at Leopardheart. She came out of dirt place looking a bit happier.

" Leopardheart! Step forwards!" Nightstar said, keeping calm. Leopardheart came forward. She was pushed through the crowd to the front of the high boulder. " For reasons, the clan mustn't know, you are going to be punished for your crime!" Nightstar growled.

Leopardheart's face showed no expression. " I know having and losing your kits was traumatic, but it shouldn't lead to you abusing the cat's who are trying to help you! You will be put on double duties for the rest of this moon and the next! I hope you are sorry for what you have done and it won't happen again" Nightstar growled.

Leopardheart scowled. Gingerpaw knew what double duties were. Her father as a young warrior had to do double duties once, for disobeying orders. They were the harshest punishment nest to exile.

You had to guard camp every night, and hunt on all patrols during the day and do as many patrols as possible during the day. And if all the hunting patrols and border patrols were done you had to clean out the elders den, the nursery, the leaders den, dirt-place, the apprentices den and the warriors den. It was hard, tough work. Her father only had it for a day. But leopardheart had it hard.

In some ways, Gingerpaw felt sorry for the misguided she-cat.

 **What do you folks think of the punishment Nightstar has given Leopardheart? Was it really that nessacery? Consider these points:**

 **. She didn't kill Ferretwing**

 **. She lied to another clan mate to get the herbs**

 **. She really hurt Greywing**

 **. Its for the rest of the moon AND next moon.**

 **. She's not going to be able to sleep at ALL during that time, unless she's given premission.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15. Death

Silentpaw lay in his nest, trying to sleep after the days event. Cloudfang was in the chamber nest to him, storing herbs. Ever so often, the white tom would look at him oddly.

This disturbed him a little.

" _Why can't he keep his eyeballs to himself"_ Lilytail complained. Silentpaw ignored her. His eyes drooped slowly as slumber began to creep up behind his eyelids.

He woke with a jump. The ash fields were all around him. Looking closer, they were sectioned into three parts: Forest, forest fire and ash fields as he knew it. A black she-cat sat up ahead. Carefully, he edged forwards.

He peered at something glowing on her shoulder. A patch of fur had been replaced by glowing embers. Slowly the she-cat turned towards him. Her face was scarred. Silentpaw backed away. Its face was a mess of scars and burns. Her jaw was crooked, with teeth sticking out from one side.

She limped towards him. He backed up against the tree and stared. " My face is nothing but turmoil and lost, all because of you" She hissed. Silentpaw backed up and ran through the lush tree's.

The she-cat wasn't following him. There was the sound of purring up ahead. Silentpaw gasped at what he saw.

Lilytail was there with a faded orange mess of fur. He tried to look at it, but it was fuzzy. Suddenly he was pushed into the flaming section. Cats screeched around him. Lilytail stood in front of a burning den. Wailing came from inside. Lilytail fought with a small brown tom. Soon, another she-cat joined the tom. The two cats slashed and cut at her muzzle.

Lilytail called out. The two of them pinned her down and shoved her towards the fire. The fire began to burn the tufts of her ears. He watched as they clawed her and hissed and insulted her. Terror glazed in her eyes. He watched as she burned to her death, her body never to be reclaimed by her family.

Gingerpaw woke up early. She had decided to get her game up. Maybe even go on dawn patrol. Trying not to trip on Bumblepaw's sleeping body. She was curled up with Glowpaw.

Gingerpaw jumped over the two and walked up the tunnel entrance. The sun hadn't risen, but the sky was slowly getting lighter. She looked to camp entrance. Leopardheart sat there, showing no sign of tiredness. Gingerpaw picked a rabbit from the pile. Quietly she padded over to Leopardheart. The she-cat ignored her. Looking down at the ground, she placed the rabbit on the floor and walked away.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16. Needles and blood

Silentpaw was disturbed by the dream. Lilytail had gone silent inside his head. He saw Gingerpaw earlier, she had secretly given Leopardheart a rabbit. The bengal warrior had eaten it, after she made sure Gingerpaw didn't see her eating it.

Ferretwing had already some into the den. Cloudfang had given her some herbs to boost her milk supply. Silentpaw hadn't seen Greywing all morning, thinking of Leopardheart's old mate. Since he last saw him, Nightstar was giving him more jobs to do, to distract him from reality.

Gingerpaw came into camp. She had just finished her first dawn patrol. It had gone well, no intruders or unusual happenings. She was aloud to hang around camp again, while her mentor was else where. She didn't know where he was.

He awoke in a strange place full of trees. He didn't like the large pines that towered above his head. They were black and sharp. Just like the ones in the ash-fields. He heard a suffocated moan. The black tree trunks began to glow like embers. Trying to flee, he ran straight into the monster. It was truly horrific. Made from glowing pieces of embers and burnt ash, it lumbered closer.

As it got nearer, its figure began to change. Tufts of ginger fur, began to push its way in between the joints and cracks in the beasts body. He turned and ran, hoping to find the river. The creature thundered after him.

He looked behind him on the river bank. It was getting closer. Hastily, he leaped into the water and swam to his own territory. The creature followed. There was hissing and painful screeches as the water washed parts of it away. Unable to stand it any longer, he ran as fast as he could to camp.

Scared, he reached camp. His brother smiled at him and passed him. He was very shocked at this. Next he checked the warriors den. Blossomheart was sat there grooming. His heart-melted at the very sight of her.

Next he ran over to the leaders den, and saw Ferretstar. The tom smiled at him. Finally he went over to the nursery.

A tan queen sat there, two kits curled up in her belly. For the first time he felt glad for the kits to be around.

But then the smaller kit, the color of flames, began to change. Its size boosted to the size of an apprentice. Its joints cracked and blackened. Its eyes became as black as coal. The kit was the invader from the ash-fields!

The den went black and the creature dissolved into nothing. He looked down below him and saw… a birds eye view of the clans territory! He looked closer and saw a tan queen. She had something in her mouth. The image came closer, by a few inches. The thing in her mouth was leaving a trail of flames. All the way from the ash-fields. He watched at she recahed camp, and the embers flew outwards, turning the camp to flames.

A voice echoed behind him.

" _Beware those with flames in their spirit, and needles in their blood"_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17. confused

Gingerpaw jumped as Brambledip came leaping at her from the warriors. He pinned her down. His fur was on end and his pupils had dilated. The tom hissed at her before shaking his head and looking down on her.

He hissed at her and jumped off.

" Are you ok? Brambledip?" Daisytail, a young warrior asked him. He looked at her in a confused way. The tom let his fur lie flat again.

" Yes, perfectly fine…" The tom muttered. Gingerpaw stayed back. Brambledip stared at her for a split-second before looking away.

" Its time for battle training. Meet me at the camp entrance once I've eaten something" He growled. He got up and walked away.

Silentpaw sorted herbs for Cloudfang. He was bored already. If only he could become a warrior, like the rest of his family. He would never fight, save comrades or save a clan. Silentpaw caught Cloudfang's voice outside. He was talking with Nightstar.

" What do you think it means? I mean its confusing"

" I think it has something to do with ForestClan"

" But they all were killed"

" You could never be sure with them lot… but what if some of them did live? They wouldn't return here"

" I think there's a spy amongst us"

" Nonsense. You could spot those tree dwellers a mile off. Plus we would know them"

Silentpaw turned and walked slowly towards the entrance. Cloudfang sounded worried, while Nightstar sounded rather military. Silentpaw edged closer.

" We need to be wary… I don't think StarClan would send us a message without meaning"

" It could have been NightClan"

" NightClan SmightClan. It doesn't exist. Tree dwellers were sent to the dark-forest"

" I'm scared it could be one of our younger warriors though.."

Silentpaw slipped and snapped a thick grass stem. He clumsily rushed back to his work. Cloudfang came in, frowning.

" I heard a sound. Was it you?" Cloudfang asked suspiciously. Silentpaw shook his head seriously. Cloudfang didn't seem to believe him.

Brambledip made Gingerpaw leap from boulder to boulder. Each time demanding that she jumped to a different one further away. Her limbs ached slightly, as she had been doing this since the sun had just risen into the sky. The sun had now risen almost to mid-day.

Brambledip was observing her closely as she jumped.

" Ok. You can stop now, Next we're gonna do surprise attacks" He began to walk around the boulder mound.

" You're going to try and ambush me from the air" Brambledip stalked off and circled the boulders.

Gingerpaw weaved her way into the centre of the boulder mound. She watched Brambledip as he began to climb the boulder pit. Silently, she crept forwards and wiggled her haunches.

Brambledip screeched as she rolled down the boulder fields with him in grip. Gingerpaw found it rather amusing, he was complaining like a small kit would.

" I think we've done enough training for today, its getting soon to when cats for the gathering will be picked." Gingerpaw had completely forgotten. She excitedly bounded towards camp.


End file.
